Mobile apparatus for salvaging underground and overhead electrical cable

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for salvaging underground and overhead electrical cable includes a mobile platform, such as a motor truck, on which a cable-receiving tubular guide assembly is adjustably mounted for guiding cable from a cable-pulling toothed sheave supported at the rearward end of the guide assembly to a travelling guillotine type of cable cutter supported at the forward end. The cable cutter is synchronized to travel with the cable and to cut the cable into short lengths. After each cut of the cable, the cutter is synchronized to travel with the cable and to cut the cable into short lengths. After each cut of the cable, the cutter is retracted to its start position. Additionally, a pusher may be provided to push into the cutter the end portions of cable which have passed forwardly beyond the cable-pulling sheave and which, except for the pusher, may be left in the tubular guide assembly.

[ Mar. 26, 1974 MOBILE APPARATUS FOR SALVAGING UNDERGROUND AND OVERHEADELECTRICAL CABLE Arthur K. McVaugh, Box 42, Vernfield, Pa. 18973 Filed:Mar. 30, 1973 Appl. No.: 346,357

Inventor:

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1937 Traut 83/3l8 X 7/1956Siegerist 83/318 3/1965 Smith et'al 83/924 X 4/1973 Chippendale 83/924 XPrimary Examiner-Frank T. Yost Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Paul & Paul [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for salvaging underground and overhead electricalcable includes a mobile platform, such as a motor truck, on which acable-receiving tubular guide assembly is adjustably mounted for guidingcable from a cable-pulling toothed sheave supported at the rearward endof the guide assembly to a travelling guillotine type of cable cuttersupported at the forward end. The cable cutter is synchronized to travelwith the cable and to cut the cable into short lengths. After each cutof the cable, the cutter is synchronized to travel with the cable and tocut the cable into short lengths. After each cut of the cable, thecutter is retracted to its start position. Additionally, a pusher may beprovided to push into the cutter the end portions of cable which havepassed forwardly beyond the cablepulling sheave and which, except forthe pusher, may be left in the tubular guide assembly.

15 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures gs V PATENTED MARZB I974 sum 1 0r 6 MOBILEAPPARATUS FOR SALVAGING UNDERGROUND AND OVERHEAD ELECTRICAL CABLEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus forsalvaging cable, particularly underground and overhead electrical cable.

Public utilities use large amounts of underground electrical cable and,to some extent, overhead cable. Electric power companies use largediameter underground cable for transmission of electric power fromgenerating stations to substations and thence to industrial plants andto residential properties. Other public utilities, such as telephone andtelegraph companies, railroads, and other public transportation systemsalso use underground power cables. In addition, in the larger citiesseparate communication systems are provided for police and firedepartments which utilize underground cables for transmission ofmessages and for transmission of signals, as for the control of trafficlights.

The installation of electrical cable below ground in conduits has manyadvantages. The cable life is usually longer since the cables are notexposed to the adverse effects of storm and weather. And it avoidsdisrupting the beauty of the roadside.

Underground cable is usually installed in concrete pipe, terracottapipe, or the like, which is buried underground, and which may extend for400 to 800 feet before terminating in a manhole. In the city, themanhole is usually located near an intersection.

The installation of new cable into newly installed underground-conduit,as by a winch or the like, is a relatively simple matter compared to theremoval thereof after the cable has become lodged in the conduit for anumber of years.

Underground cable deteriorates and eventually must be removed. Or, itsremoval may be necessitated by the need for a larger capacity cable. Theremoval of the old cable can be very difficult and costly. The cable,being older, is weaker and is more likely to rupture when strained. Thedirt which accumulates in the conduit after many years has the effect ofcausing the cable to adhere to the walls of the conduit. Sometimes treeroots have penetrated into the conduit, making it extremely difficult toremove the cable from the conduit. For these and other reasons, removingand recovering old cable has been difficult and costly.

The scrap value of the cable, once recovered, is high because of thelarge amounts of copper, lead, and other metals in the cable. However,the cost of salvaging the cable may be even higher than the scrap value.

One method which has been used to remove cable from underground conduitis to position a winch above each of the manholes at the two ends of thecable and then pull on the cable using a back-and-forth motion until itis finally loosened sufficiently to be pulled out at one of themanholes. The removed cable was then wound directly on an empty reel,which was picked up with special apparatus and hauled away to a scrapyard. At the scrap yard, the cable was unwound from the reel and shearedinto short lengths suitable for smelting to recover the copper and othermetals.

Another method which has been heretofore used is to pull a length ofcable from the conduit with a puller,

then stop the puller, cut the cable into short lengths, and then repeatthe procedure until all of the cable has been removed from the conduit.This procedure is unsatisfactory in actual practice. The amount of forcerequired to restart the cable from a rest position is very substantialand places a heavy strain on the puller, so that it had a very shortlife.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application disclosesapparatus for removing and recovering underground and/or overheadelectrical cable. The apparatus disclosed is an improvement over theapparatus disclosed in my co-pending patent application, Ser. No.152,697, filed June 14, 1971, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,736,822.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of this invention toprovide an improved apparatus for removing and recovering undergroundand/or overhead cable.

The foregoing object of this invention is achieved by providing anapparatus in which the cable to be recovered is gripped and pulled bythe radial teeth of a motor-driven sheave mounted at the rearward end ofan elongated inclined tube affixed to a mobile platform. The cable ispulled from the underground conduit (or overhead line) and then pushedup the tube into a cutter which cuts the cable into small sections as itemerges from the tube. The cut lengths of cable are suitable forrecovery in a smelter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational schematicillustration of a preferred embodiment of apparatus according to thisinvention. In FIG. I, the alternate position of the sheave for pullingoverhead cable is shown in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear end view of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2, thelimiting positions of the adjustable-position sheave being shown inphantom.

FIG. 4 is a detailed side view, in partial cross-section, showing thesheave and the rearward part of the inclined tube of the apparatus ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the sheave, taken along the line 5-5 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a partial top view of the sheave, taken along the line 6-6 ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an end view in partial cross-section of the ball joint at therearward end of the tube, taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view in partial cross-section of the forwardportion of the tube, taken along the line 8-8 of FIGfl.

FIG. 9 is a side view in partial section, taken along the line 9-9 ofFIG. 2, showing the cable-cutting means, with successive positions ofthe knife and pusher shown in phantom.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view, in partial cross-section taken along theline 10l0 of FIG. 9, showing the cable-cutting means of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line llll of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line 12-12 of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, amobile truck T is illustrated schematically having wheels W resting onthe surface of the ground G. Supported on the body of the truck T are acable-pulling sheave assembly 20, a position adjustable extendibletubular guide assembly 50, and a cable cutter assembly 70.

The truck T is shown backed-up in a position near to or adjacent amanhole M from which a cable C, shown in phantom, is to-be removed.Jacks I support the rear end of the truck against the downward forceswhich are experienced during the cable-pulling operation.

The illustration of FIG. 1 assumes that the forward end of the cable haspreviously been pulled from the underground conduit, as by steel rope Rwound on the motor-driven capstan 24 (FIGS. 2 and 3) and that theforward end of the cable C has been placed in the sheave 21 and pusheddown so as to be gripped tightly by the teeth 22 and 23 (FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, supported on the body of the truck T is atubular guide assembly 50 whose function is to convey the cable from thesheave to a cutter 70 located at a height and position adapted to dropthe cut lengths into a cart-away vehicle. The tubular guide assemblyincludes an outer tubular sleeve 67 and an inner tubular guide member 51which. is extendible relative to sleeve 67. The position of the tubularguide 67, 51 is universally adjustable by means of a plurality ofhydraulic cylinder pistons 54, 56 and 52, the lower ends of which aremounted, by universal mounting means, on the truck body. The upper endsof the pistons of a pair of rearward hydraulic cylinders 54 areconnected to a ball connection 60 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) which is connectedto and supports the rearward end of sleeve 67. In FIG. 4, sleeve 67 isshown as being integral with ball connection 60, but 67 may be connectedto 60 as by welding, or by bolts.

The upper ends of the pistons of a pair of forward hydraulic cylinders56 are connected to the forward portion of sleeve 67. Thus, by means ofthe pairs of hydraulic cylinder pistons 54 and 56, the elevation andangle of inclination of the tubular guide 67, 51 are adjusted andcontrolled. Moreover, by extending one of the pistons of a pair and/orretracting the other, the guide sleeve 67 and its tubular inner member51 may be adjusted rotationally about its own longitudinal axis.

The angular position of the tubular guide 67, 51 relative to thelongitudinal center axis of the truck is also adjustable, beingcontrolled by elements 52, 52E and 53. Element 53 is a fixed length tierod which extends from a fixed point on the truck body near the base ofone of the hydraulic cylinders 54 to a fixed bracket 153 (FIG. 8.) onthe underside of the sleeve 67 near the forward end of the sleeve.Elements 52 and 52E are respectively a hydraulic cylinder piston and apiston rod extension. The forward end of extension 52B is connected tothe tie rod 53 near the forward end thereof. Thus, the angular positionof the tubular guide assembly 67, 51 relative to the center axis of thetruck is adjustable by the action of hydraulic cylinder 52 incooperation with the pairs of hydraulic cylinders 56 and 54.

As seen in FIG. 4, connected to, or integral with, ball connection 60 isa rearwardly extending tubular portion 62, the function of which is tosupport the cablepulling sheave assembly 20. Assembly 20 is supported onthe rearwardly extending portion 62 by a collar 61 which is retained onthe support member 62 by a retaining wedge ring'63. Collar 61 has anextension 64 which extends to one side and rearwardly from collar 61(FIGS. 1,2 and 4). Secured, as by bolts or welding, to a rearmostportion of collar extension 64 is a hollow cylindrical cross member 128(FIG. 5) which supports the sheave 21 and the motor drive therefor andwhich also functions as a bearing surface for capstan 24.

While, so far as the present invention is concerned, the sheave 21 maybe driven rotationally by other suitable means, a preferred form ofdrive is illustrated in FIG. 5. As there shown a hydraulically drivengear motor 25 drives a first planetary drive 26 which is bolted to endplate 28 of cylindrical housing 128. Drive 26 is coupled to and drives asecond planetary drive 27 which is bolted to plate 127 which in turn isbolted to capstan 24. Thus, by means of hydraulic gear motor 25 and thetwo-stage planetary drive 26, 27 the capstan 24 is driven rotationally,being'supported for rotation on cylindrical member 128.

While not intending to be limited to the following speeds, thehydraulically driven gear motor 25 may, for example, rotate at 3,000rpm, and the second planetary motor 27 of the two-stage planetary motordrive may be driven at 16 rpm, thereby driving the capstan 24 and sheave21 at 16 rpm. As already indicated, these speeds are merelyillustrative.

Secured to capstan 24 is an'endless chain 30, which (FIG. 4) drives atoothed wheel 31 mounted on a shaft 32 supported in frame member 64. Theteeth of the wheel 31 engage the underside of the cable C as it leavesthe sheave 21 and provides support for the cable and also assists inmoving the cable forwardly into the guide tube 67, 51.

Sheave 21, whose function is to pull the cable C from its underground(or overhead) installation, comprises two separate halves 21A and 218(FIG. 5) each of which is mounted on capstan 24 and secured thereto, asby key 121. An annular spacer 29 is placed between the two halves 21Aand 218. The halves are held together by a retainer ring 130 which istoothed and which also serves as the drive sprocket for endless chain30.

Each of the sheave halves is characterized by having inclinded radialteeth 22 and 23 of truncated conical shape which face each other, andwhich may preferably be staggered rather than directly opposite eachother. The advantage to be derived from staggering the teeth, on oneside relative to the other, is that when the cable C, shown in phantomin FIG. 5, is wedged down in the V-shaped notch formed by the inclinedtruncated teeth 22 and 23, the sheath of the cable, as it is gripped andpulled by the teeth 22, 23 of the rotating sheave is forced into aslightly sinuous configuration. This is particularly true of smallerdiameter cables. This augments the ability of the sheave 21 to pull thecable.

Once the cable C becomes wedged down into the V- notch formed betweenthe teeth 21, 22 of the sheave, it (the cable) tends to remain in thenotch and would follow a path around the sheave. To prevent this, a plowor pryfinger (FIG. 6) is placed in a position to pry the cable C out ofthe notch in the sheave. Such pry finger 165 is shown (FIG. 4) to be aprojection of a member 65 secured, as by bolts, to frame member 64.

It will be seen from the drawings (FIG. 1-5) that the sheave 21 issupported, by frame members 128, 64 and 61, on the tubular rearwardextension 62 of the tubular sleeve 67. Thus, by means of the hydrauliccylinder pistons 54, 56 and 52, the position of the sheave 21 may beadjusted, within limits. In FIG. 3, the limit positions of sheave 21, toeach side of center position, are shown in phantom. The capability ofthe apparatus to change the position of sheave 21 enables the apparatusto pull cables out of manholes which are located to one side or theother of the center line of the truck T.

Referring again to FIG. 5, supported on the frame member 64, as bysupport members 142, is a fluid motor 42 which drives a cam wedge 40through a portion of one revolution to move the cam wedge 40 from itsposition shown in FIG. 5, which is the position shown in solid line inFIG. 4, to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 4. The function of camwedge 40 is to press the cable C down into the V-notch of the sheave 21to assure that the inclined truncated teeth 22 and 23 of the sheave diginto the lead sheath of the cable C, preferably all the way down to thecopper core.

As has already been described, when the cable C is pulled out of theunderground conduit by the gripping action of the inclined truncatedteeth 22 and 23 of the sheave 21, any tendency that the cable has tostay in the teeth of the sheave and to continue on a circular path isprevented by the pry finger 165 of extension 65 of frame 64. Thus, bymeans of the finger 165, the cable C is forced out of the teeth of thesheave and is guided along the upper surface of the extension 65 (FIG.4) and then, supported and aided by the teeth of the wheel 31, the cableis pushed into the rearward end of the tubular assembly 67, 51. Theangle of inclination of the tube 67, 51, and also its elevationalposition, are determined and controlled by the pairs of hydrauliccylinders 54 and 56.

It will be seen that if cable C offers a great deal of resistanceagainst being pulled out from the underground duct, the cable C willbecome wedged even more deeply into the V-notch formed between teeth 22and 23 of the sheave 21, thereby assuring that the sheave obtains a goodgrip on the cable.

As the cable C moves from the sheave 21 into the rearward end of thetubular assembly 67, 51, the cable is supported first on finger 165(FIG. 6) and then on the toothed wheel 31 which is driven by endlesschain 30 at a speed related to that at which the sheave 21 is beingdriven. Mounted above wheel 31, and also above cable C is a toothedwheel 33 freely rotatable on a shaft 34 one end of which is supported inan arm 35 which is pivotal about a pin 36. By means of a piston 37, thetoothed wheel 33 is brought down to bear on the cable C, therebypressing the cable into the toothed driven wheel 31, there assuring thatthe wheel 31 assists in pushing the cable C into the tubular assembly67, 51.

At times, the cable to be removed from the conduit (or from the overheadpole line) consists of a plurality of smaller cables, for example, agroup of4 or 5 smaller cables. In such cases, the toothed wheels 31 and33 are very useful, in that the downward pressure of the upper toothedwheel 33 is used to press the 4 or 5 cables into a single layer which isthen pressed against the lower toothed wheel 31 to enable the wheel 31to push the cables forward into the tubular assembly.

To pull down overhead cable, the sheave assembly is rotated 180 on thetubular support 62 (FIG. 4) to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 1.This is done by loosening the wedge ring 63, rotating the frame member64, 61 on the support 62 and then re-tightening the wedge ring 63.

With respect now to the tubular assembly 67, 51, the outer sleeve 67 isprovided with a key 167 which extends the entire length of the sleeve67. Fitted within sleeve 67 is a slidably extendible inner tubularmember 51 having at its rearward end an enlarged portion 151 havingtherein a keyway for receiving the key 167 of the outer sleeve 67. Thekey 167 prevents the inner tu' bular member 51 from becoming rotativelydisplaced relative to sleeve 67. At the forward end of sleeve 67 (FIG.8) a bushing 267 is provided which functions as a bearing for theslidably extendible inner tubular member 51. Y

The inner tubular member 51 is extendible relative to the fixed outersleeve 67, by means ofa hydraulic cylinder 58 (FIGS. 1, 2, 8) mounted onthe upper surface of sleeve 67. The piston 158 of cylinder 58 ispivotally pinned to a bracket 66 secured, as by welding, to the uppersurface of tubular member 51. Thus, when hydraulic cylinder 58 isactuated to extend piston 158, the inner tubular member 51 is slidablyextended relative to the fixed outer sleeve 67. In this movement, theenlarged rearward end 151 of tubular member 51 bears against the innersurface of the sleeve 67 and the outer surface of tubular member 51bears against the bushing 267 at the forward end of sleeve 67.

Mounted on the upper surface of the tubular sleeve 67 (FIGS. 1, 2, 8)are a pair of telescoping hydraulic fluid-conveying tubes 59A and 59B,one on each side of hydraulic cylinder 58. Within each of the tubes 59Aand 59B is a slidable hollow inner tube, 159A and 195B, respectively,which are secured as by brackets to the surface of tubular member 51.Thus, when tubular member 51 is extended relative to the fixed sleeve67, the slidable inner hollow fluid-conveying tubes 159A and 159B areextended forwardly to the same extent that the tube 51 is extendedforwardly.

The pair of extendible telescoping tubes 59A, 159A and 59B, 159B carryhydraulic fluid which is used to drive forwardly, and to retract, thecutter mechanism 70, as controlledby a spool valve 104 (FIG. 9). Theoperation of the cutter mechanism will now be described.

The cutter mechanism 70 and the associated pusher mechanism isillustrated in detail in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The cutter mechanism 70 is hydraulically operated by hydraulic pressureapplied through the pairs of fluid tubes 59A, 159A and 59B, 159B (FIGS.2 and 8). The source of fluid pressure is common to the source of fluidpressure which drives the sheave 21. Thus, there is a constantproportional relationship between the fluid flow applied to actuate thecutter mechanism and the fluid flow applied to drive the sheave 21. Asalready indicated, and as will be described, the fluid pressure throughthe fluid tubes 59A, 159A, 5913 and 1593 is used to extend and toretract the cutter, under the control of spool valve 104. Secured to theforward end of the extendible inner tube 51 is a housing of rectangularcross-section having a relatively heavy floor plate 91 and a cover plate92. The forward portion 93 of cover plate 92 is inclined downwardlyalong a convergent path relative to the base plate 91.

Pivotally supported on a bracket 166 on the rearward wall 94 of housing90 is the rearward end of a hydraulic cylinder 89. The piston head 73 ofcylinder 89 is pivotally connected by a pin 74 to the upper extension71E of a cutter blade 71. Blade 71 may preferably have a widthcorresponding to that of the housing 90 (FIG. 11). Cutter blade 71 issupported for pivotal movement on a cross shaft 72. Shaft 72 issupported in and carried by a U-shaped carriage 75 having rollerbearings 76 which, if no upward force is applied to the carriage 75,ride on side rails 78 secured to the side walls of the housing 90 (FIGS.9 and 11).

The extension and retraction of the piston of hydraulic cylinder 89 iscontrolled by the hydraulic fluid in lines 59A, 159A, 593, 159B (FIGS.2, 8 and 9). When the piston is fully retracted, the cutter blade 71 isin the folded-up position indicated in phantom in FIG. 9, where 171 is arubber bumper on the underside of carriage 75. When the piston is firstextended, i.e., at the begining of the extension stroke, the head 73 ofthe piston pushes the upper extension 71E of cutter blade 71 forwardwithin the carriage 75, the carriage remaining stationary. This causesthe cutter blade 171 to pivot on its shaft 72 and to move from thephantom position shown in FIG. 9 to the solid-line position, and theedge of the cutter blade 71 digs into the lead sheath of the cable C.Further extension of the piston head 73 causes the extension 71E, whichis now in engagement with the rubber bumper 175 in the carriage 75, topush carriage 75 forwardly on its roller bearings 76. As seen in FIG. 9,the cutter carriage track 78 extends along a path which converges withthe base 91 of housing 90. Thus, as the piston of cylinder 89 isextended to move carriage 75 more and more forwardly, the edge of thecutter blade 71 is forced deeper and deeper into the cable C until, atthe full extension of the piston, when the carriage 75 is in theposition shown in phantom in FIG. 9, the blade 71 has completely severedthe cable C.

During the extension stroke of the piston and the forward movement ofthe cutter carriage 75, as just described, as the cutter blade 71 isforced into the cable C, the reaction force forces the carriage 75upwardly and the roller bearings 76 leave the rails 78 and bear againstthe upper rails 77, as shown in phantom in FIG. 11.

Fluid in lines 159A and 159B is applied to spool valve 104 (FIG. 9).Lines 259A and 259B lead from the spool valve 104 to the hydrauliccylinder 89. Reference numerals 101 and 102 represent a pair of spoolactuators which by controlling the positionof the spool in valve 104,control the direction of fluid flow to the hydraulic cylinder 89,thereby controlling the extension and retraction of its piston. Spoolactuators 101 and 102 are mounted on a slide plate 103 which is movableto a limited extent in the forward and rearward directions. Just beforethe cutter carriage 75 reaches its full forward limit, an upwardlyprojecting portion of the carriage bumps into a depending portion ofslide plate 103, at the forward end thereof, causing the slide plate 103to move forward to a slight extent, thereby moving actuator 101 and 102slightly forward (to the right as viewed in FIG. 9). This causes thedirection of fluid pressure in the fluid lines 259A. and 259B toreverse,

thereby causing hydraulic cylinder 89 to retract its piston.

At the completion of the retraction stroke, the upwardly projectionportion of cutter carriage bumps into the depending portion of slideplate 103, at the rearward end thereof, causingslide plate 75 to moverearwardly to a limited extent and causing the actuators 101 and 102mmove to the left as viewed in FIG. 9, thereby moving the spool in valve104 and thereby reversing the direction of the fluid pressure in thefluid lines 259A and 2598, thereby again initiating the extension strokeof the piston of cylinder 89. The action of the cutter already describedis then repeated in cyclic manner in coordination with the forwardmovement of the cable C driven by the cable-pulling sheave 21.

When the terminal end of the cable which is being pulled from theunderground duct (or from an overhead pole line) has passed through thesheave 21, the pushing force on the cable, which up to then has beenprovided by sheave 21, terminates. Accordingly, an auxiliary cablepushing mechanism may, if desired, be provided for pushing the terminalportion of the cable forwardly through the cutter mechanism 70. Suchauxiliary pushing mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, and willnow be described.

Supported on pin 74 and extending rearwardly therefrom are a pair ofrods 79 which at their rearward ends are supported on a cross shaft 83mounted in a U- shaped carriage 84 having four roller bearings 86adapted to roll along rails 88 fastened to the sidewalls of housing 90.

Supported pivotally on cross shaft 83 are a pair of side plates 82having at their lower end a push plate 81 having a scalloped or serratedlower edge (FIG. 12). The side plates 82 are pivotal about a pair ofpins mounted in the carriage 84.

When the piston of cylinder 89 is fully retracted, the pusher carriage84 is in its rearmost position and the pusher plate 81 is resting on thecable C, in the position shown in phantom in FIG. 9 (just rearward ofthe solidline position shown in FIG. 9). When the piston of cylinder 89is first extended, i.e., at the start of the extension, when the crosspin 74 is moved forwardly to cause the cutter blade 71 to pivot aboutits shaft 72 without however any forward movement of the cutter carriage75, the cross shaft 83 of the pusher carriage 84 is pulled forwardly bythe rods 79, and the pusher side plates 82 and pusher plate 81 move tothe solid-line position shown in FIG. 9. Thereafter, as the cuttercarriage 75 moves forwardly, driven by the cylinder piston, the pushercarriage 84 is pulled forwardly in like manner by therods 79, and thepusher plate 81 digs into the lead sheath of the cable C and pushes thecable along. When this occurs, the pusher carriage 84 is forced upwardlyand the roller bearings 86 leave the lower rails 88 and ride along theunder-surface of the upper rails 87, as seen in FIG. 12.

At the completion of the forward stroke, the pusher carriage 84 hascarried the pusher plate 81 to the forward position indicated in phantomin FIG. 9. When the cutter carriage 75 is returned rearwardly to itsstart position, the pusher carriage 84 is returned in like manner, beingpushed by the rods 79. During this return, the pusher plate 81 rides onthe cable C, and the roller bearings 86 ride on the lower rails 88.

The action described above is repeated cyclically until the terminal endof the cable has passed the position of the pusher plate 81 when theplate is in its retracted position. When this occurs, the pusher plate81 drops pivotally to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 9 (theleftmost phantom position). On the forward stroke, the pusher plate 81then pushes the last section of cable into the cutting mechanism.

It will be seen that, by the apparatus illustrated in the drawings anddescribed above, that underground (or overhead) cable may be pulled outof its installation position, and fed to the cutter mechanism to be cutinto equal, or approximately equal, short lengths and delivered into atruck to be hauled away to the smelting plant where the copper (or othermetal) may be recovered.

Important features of the preferred form of the new apparatus includethe cable-pulling sheave and the travelling guillotine-type cutter. Thesheave, in preferred form, is characterized by teeth of truncatedconical shape at spaced intervals, with the teeth on one side of centerstaggered with respect to the teeth on the other side. The teeth have aheight designed to penetrate the lead sheathing of the cable all the waydown to the copper core. The spacings between the teeth are adapted toreceive the lead sheathing which is pushed aside as the teeth bite intothe sheathing. The fact that, in the preferred form, the teeth arestaggered, facilitates gripping the cable since the cable tends toassume a slightly sinuous form. The use of a sheave, as described, hasthe advantage that the tighter the cable is struck in the conduit, thefurther down into the V- notch of the sheave will the cable be forced,as the sheave pulls on the cable.

The travelling guillotine cutter illustrated and described has beenfound to effect very satisfactory cutting of the cable into desiredshort lengths. It also functions to move the cable forwardly. In fact,the ability of the travelling cutter blade to move the trailing cableend forwardly, may, at least in some instances, make unnecessary theprovision or use of the pusher plate assembly 80 shown in FIGS. 9 and10.

A preferred form of apparatus has been illustrated and described.Various modifications may be made without departing from the basicconcept.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for salvaging electrical cable from underground andoverhead installations, said apparatus comprising in combination:

a. a mobile platform;

b. a cable-guiding tubular assembly mounted on said mobile platform andadapted to be inclined upwardly in the discharge direction;

c. a cable-pulling sheave;

d. means supporting said sheave on one end of said tubular assembly;

e. said sheave having inclined teeth on opposite sides of the centerline forming a V-notch therebetween;

f. sheave-drive means mounted on said sheave support means; and

g. cable-cutting means supported on the other end of i shape and arelocated at spaced-apart intervals on the inner surfaces of said sheave.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said teeth on one side of saidsheave are staggered with respect to those on the other side.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including cam wedge means mounted onsaid sheave support means, and means for moving said cam wedge means forforcing the cable down into the V-notch formed by the said teeth of saidsheave.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including auxiliary pulling andcompression means attached to said sheave-drive means for pulling andflattening bundles of individual cables.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for supporting saidsheave on one end of said tubular cable-guiding assembly includes acollar rotatable on said tubular assembly for adjusting the position ofsaid sheave.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said sheave-drive meansincludes a fluid gear motor and planetary speed reducer.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein an outer ring of saidplanetary gear is a cylindrical capstan on which said sheave is mountedand to which it is keyed.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of hydrauliccylinder pistons are employed to mount said tubular cable-guidingassembly on said truck, and wherein said pistons are adapted to adjustthe elevation and angle of inclination of said tubular assembly.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein hydraulic cylinder pistonsare also employed to adjust the angle of said tubular cable-guidingassembly relative to the longitudinal axis of said mobile platform.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cable-cutting meanscomprises:

a. a cutting blade;

b. means for carrying said blade forwardly along a path which convergeswith that of the cable path and for forcing said blade into and throughthe forwardly-moving cable;

c. means for returning said blade to its start position;

and

d. means for repeating cyclically said forward and return travels ofsaid blade.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said cutting-blade carryingmeans includes a carriage, a track for said carriage, and hydrauliccylinder piston means for moving said carriage forwardly and rearwardly.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said cutting blade is of theguillotine type.

14. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for returning saidcutting blade to its start position includes a spool valve, and meansactuated by said carriage at the completion of the piston stroke formoving said spool.

15. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cable-guiding .tubularassembly includes means for extending the length of said assembly foradjusting the location of said cable-cutting means relative to saidmobile platform.

1. Apparatus for salvaging electrical cable from underground andoverhead installations, said apparatus comprising in combination: a. amobile platform; b. a cable-guiding tubular assembly mounted on saidmobile platform and adapted to be inclined upwardly in the dischargedirection; c. a cable-pulling sheave; d. means supporting said sheave onone end of said tubular assembly; e. said sheave having inclined teethon opposite sides of the center line forming a V-notch therebetween; f.sheave-drive means mounted on said sheave support means; and g.cable-cutting means supported on the other end of said tubular assembly.2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said teeth of saidcable-pulling sheave are of truncated conical shape and are located atspaced-apart intervals on the inner surfaces of said sheave. 3.Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said teeth on one side of saidsheave are staggered with respect to those on the other side. 4.Apparatus according to claim 1 including cam wedge means mounted on saidsheave support means, and means for moving said cam wedge means forforcing the cable down into the V-notch formed by the said teeth of saidsheave.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including auxiliary pullingand compresSion means attached to said sheave-drive means for pullingand flattening bundles of individual cables.
 6. Apparatus according toclaim 1 wherein said means for supporting said sheave on one end of saidtubular cable-guiding assembly includes a collar rotatable on saidtubular assembly for adjusting the position of said sheave.
 7. Apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein said sheave-drive means includes a fluidgear motor and planetary speed reducer.
 8. Apparatus according to claim7 wherein an outer ring of said planetary gear is a cylindrical capstanon which said sheave is mounted and to which it is keyed.
 9. Apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein a plurality of hydraulic cylinder pistonsare employed to mount said tubular cable-guiding assembly on said truck,and wherein said pistons are adapted to adjust the elevation and angleof inclination of said tubular assembly.
 10. Apparatus according toclaim 9 wherein hydraulic cylinder pistons are also employed to adjustthe angle of said tubular cable-guiding assembly relative to thelongitudinal axis of said mobile platform.
 11. Apparatus according toclaim 1 wherein said cable-cutting means comprises: a. a cutting blade;b. means for carrying said blade forwardly along a path which convergeswith that of the cable path and for forcing said blade into and throughthe forwardly-moving cable; c. means for returning said blade to itsstart position; and d. means for repeating cyclically said forward andreturn travels of said blade.
 12. Apparatus according to claim 11wherein said cutting-blade carrying means includes a carriage, a trackfor said carriage, and hydraulic cylinder piston means for moving saidcarriage forwardly and rearwardly.
 13. Apparatus according to claim 11wherein said cutting blade is of the guillotine type.
 14. Apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein said means for returning said cutting bladeto its start position includes a spool valve, and means actuated by saidcarriage at the completion of the piston stroke for moving said spool.15. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cable-guiding tubularassembly includes means for extending the length of said assembly foradjusting the location of said cable-cutting means relative to saidmobile platform.